Bill O'Brien staying at Penn State

Bill O'Brien is staying at Penn State. O'Brien's agent, Joseph Linta, said Thursday night that the Nittany Lions' head coach garnered interest from several NFL teams for vacant jobs at the next level.

GENARO C. ARMAS

STATE COLLEGE (AP) — Bill O'Brien is staying at Penn State.

O'Brien's agent, Joseph Linta, said Thursday night that the Nittany Lions' head coach garnered interest from several NFL teams for vacant jobs at the next level.

But Linta said the "heartstrings" of O'Brien's experience from Penn State's 8-4 season in his first year outweighed the potentially big raise he could have received as an NFL head coach. He said O'Brien made the decision to stay at Penn State and not move forward with potential NFL opportunities Thursday.

O'Brien has been lauded for guiding Penn State to a successful season following strict NCAA sanctions for the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal.

The decision wasn't hard in the end, Linta said in a phone interview with The Associated Press. "His loyalty to the team and those kids was a really strong bond ... Although he loves the NFL and loves coaching, the experience this year with those kids was the opportunity of a lifetime for him."